Japan's Largest Gate Emerges from Darkness

First Illuminations at Higashi Honganji Temple, Kyoto

Photo= Higashi Honganji Temple's Goeido Gate was illuminated for the first time (7:00 p.m., August 25, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto)

On August 25, Goeido Gate was illuminated for the first time at Higashi Honganji Temple, the headquarters of the Shinshu Otani-ha, or the Otani sect of Shin Buddhism, in Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto. The dignified appearance of its huge gate, boasting the highest height in Japan, emerged from the dark night while many visitors looked on intently.

Goeido Gate was built in 1911 in a wooden hip-and-gable-style with multiple roofs. It has a height of 27 meters. The light-up was conducted by the Otani sect as part of the events on the eve of "Shimogyo, Kyoto Eki-mae Summer Festa 2017," a summer festival held around Higashi Honganji Temple, Nishi Hongwanji Temple and JR Kyoto Station on August 26.

At 6:30 p.m. under the lingering evening glow, the gate was lit up when the LED illuminations turned on. As it became darker, the outlines of the gate came sharply into view against the night sky with its mounted golden fittings shining.

That day, a fountain designed by an architect Goichi Takeda, which is located in a green zone on the east side of the gate, was also illuminated with blue and green lights. Passing tourists from Japan and abroad took photos featuring the gate and fountain as "co-stars."